This could go in a number of different topics, so I just decided to post it here. If this has already been addressed elsewhere, please forgive me.

I recently started pondering whether there are any historical themes of eunuchs as warriors, generals, and leaders? So much of what’s been addressed historically is about the submissive, the unwilling, or the zealous - slaves, choirboys, prophets, children used to better their families social standing, watchers of concubines, etc. And, so much of what we get currently (excluding health related reasons) seems to be about fetish, sexual roles, and relief from psychological distress.

But where are the studies of those “manly” men who fought and led - who were role models and brothers in arms; who had high levels of responsibility, power, and abilities to influence the events of their domain (and I’m going to call out that I’m not going to include the examples of house staff here, because I don’t want this to devolve into a conversation about the catty bitches who whispered in people’s ears to play politics)?

I’ve just started down this path, but found this document on one example, in case anyone else here has a similar interest:

https://ceraejournal.com/wp-content/upl ... linity.pdf

If anyone else has other examples, or is interested in exploring the topic further, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Thanks for listening.

Hisgoodson (imported) wrote: Thu Sep 26, 2024 7:05 am This could go in a number of different topics, so I just decided to post it here. If this has already been addressed elsewhere, please forgive me.

I recently started pondering whether there are any historical themes of eunuchs as warriors, generals, and leaders? So much of what’s been addressed historically is about the submissive, the unwilling, or the zealous - slaves, choirboys, prophets, children used to better their families social standing, watchers of concubines, etc. And, so much of what we get currently (excluding health related reasons) seems to be about fetish, sexual roles, and relief from psychological distress.

But where are the studies of those “manly” men who fought and led - who were role models and brothers in arms; who had high levels of responsibility, power, and abilities to influence the events of their domain (and I’m going to call out that I’m not going to include the examples of house staff here, because I don’t want this to devolve into a conversation about the catty bitches who whispered in people’s ears to play politics)?

I’ve just started down this path, but found this document on one example, in case anyone else here has a similar interest:

https://ceraejournal.com/wp-content/upl ... linity.pdf

If anyone else has other examples, or is interested in exploring the topic further, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Thanks for listening.

There are a lot of documentary materials on the site, for example,

Eunuchs In China

http://forums.eunuch.org/showthread.php ... s-In-China

Thank you for expanding our knowledge on this topic (after all, we are not only talking about diseases ).

There is a LOT of history about Eunuch military leaders, mostly Middle and Far Eastern, including some of the most "historically significant" players at different points in time.... A lot is documented here in the 'non-fiction articles' section of the forum...

In addition a small number of the stories in the story area are related to historically significant eunuchs, particularly those by Peuros (sp?) who has serious chops as a historian... (One is an interesting but unverifiable speculation about a very famous saint...)

WheelyFixed

Idle question that is somewhat relevant... One of the classic references on military tactics is Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". Written way long ago, it is still used as a major text in military schools the world over....

It has been many years since I read it, but I remember that there was at least one reference to dealing with a conquered army by giving the soldiers a choice of castration or execution... I know that in that period there were many major Chinese Eunuch Generals and other senior officers, but do we know if Sun Tzu himself was fixed?

WheelyFixed

I am Chinese and have read "The Art of War" since childhood. I am quite certain that there is no mention of castration in any form within "The Art of War."

In Chinese history, very few eunuchs have held military power, and there has never been a formally organized army of eunuchs.

In the mid to late Tang Dynasty, emperors sent eunuchs to various military units as supervisors. The most famous example is Zhang Chengye, the last loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty. However, his talents lay more in managing logistics and military discipline rather than tactics and combat.

During the Song Dynasty, Tong Guan, a eunuch who was highly trusted by the emperor, commanded a large army. His military abilities were controversial. He won some battles but also lost several key fights, ultimately failing to save the Northern Song from collapse.

Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty was not only a renowned navigator and diplomat. During his great voyages, he also attacked countries that refused to obey the Celestial Empire and eradicated pirates along the trade routes.

How did I overlook Yang Sixu, the greatest eunuch general in Chinese history. He participated in the coup alongside Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, gaining the emperor's favor. He later commanded troops four times, suppressing southern rebellions and slaughtering hundreds of thousands of enemies, shocking both friend and foe with his thunderous methods.

Thank you for all the replies! I’ve been busy with work and etc, and haven’t even fully read the Narses article completely as yet, but already I feel compelled to start a project around this. I’m aiming to assemble a list of these eunuchs through the ages who have stood out for their accomplishments in expanding their respective domains and kingdoms. Maybe there is one out there already, but if so, I haven’t had the chance to research it as yet. I just had this idea at work today and decided to to log in here and catch up.

If anyone is interested in contributing, perhaps you could add the name, period, and a brief statement of conquest/achievements? For example, for Narses, it could be as simple as this:

Narses

Byzantine Empire

Conquered the Goths

My question for the mods or the group is what thread this should live in?

Blessings.

Hey! Eunuch warriors and generals is also one of the main interested for me. I mostly interested in muscular and manly generals

1. Ly Thuong Kiet (Vietnam): Lý Thường Kiệt of the Lý Dynasty is one of the greatest generals in Vietnamese history, helping the country defeat the Chinese Song Dynasty in the 11th century. He was born in the city of Thang Long (modern day Hanoi) in 1019 and died in 1105 at the age of 86. Lý served as the captain of a cavalry before rising through the ranks of the Vietnamese military. In order for him to lead the Imperial Guards, he had to be castrated and become a eunuch. As a military leader Lý Thường Kiệt proves to be more than capable, not only was he victorious against the Chinese, but against the Cham and Cambodian armies as well. Besides his military triumphs, Lý Thường Kiệt is also remembered for writing the famous poem Nam Quốc Sơn Hà, the very first Declaration of Independence of Vietnam. To this day, Lý Thường Kiệt is still revered as one of Vietnam’s greatest heroes.

2. Gang Bing (China) Gang Bing is most notable for his act of self-castration as a display of loyalty to his emperor. He served under the Yongle Emperor, the third emperor of the Ming dynasty who ruled over China from 1402 to 1424. Historical accounts describe Gang Bing as the emperor's favorite general. Because of this, the Yongle Emperor placed Gang Bing in charge of the palace in Beijing while he left for a hunting expedition.

At this point political intrigue within the walls of the Forbidden City forced Gang Bing to make a drastic choice. The Yongle Emperor possessed a large harem of concubines; sexual contact with a concubine by anyone other than the emperor was a severe offense. Fearing that rivals within the palace may accuse him of sexual improprieties with one of the 73 imperial concubines, Gang Bing decided to execute a plan of terrible self-infliction the night before the emperor left for his trip: he severed his own penis and testicles with a knife. The general then placed his severed organs into a bag under the saddle of the emperor's horse.As predicted, when the Yongle Emperor returned from his hunt, one of the emperor's ministers reported that Gang Bing had had inappropriate relations within the imperial harem.When accused of misconduct, Gang Bing instructed that the emperor's saddle be retrieved and requested that the emperor reach inside the bag under the saddle. Inside the bag, the emperor found Gang Bing's shriveled, blackened genitalia. Deeply impressed, the Yongle Emperor elevated Gang Bing to the rank of chief eunuch, a politically powerful position within the palace; gave him numerous gifts; and proclaimed him holy

Hisgoodson (imported) wrote: Fri Sep 27, 2024 11:48 am Thank you for all the replies! I’ve been busy with work and etc, and haven’t even fully read the Narses article completely as yet, but already I feel compelled to start a project around this. I’m aiming to assemble a list of these eunuchs through the ages who have stood out for their accomplishments in expanding their respective domains and kingdoms. Maybe there is one out there already, but if so, I haven’t had the chance to research it as yet. I just had this idea at work today and decided to to log in here and catch up.

If anyone is interested in contributing, perhaps you could add the name, period, and a brief statement of conquest/achievements? For example, for Narses, it could be as simple as this:

Narses

Byzantine Empire

Conquered the Goths

My question for the mods or the group is what thread this should live in?

Blessings.

If you want to assemble it into an annotated list, send it to me in .docx or Open/Libre Office format. I can put it here in nonfiction articles, and also on the Fiction Archive, which does have an option for nonfiction.